Lakshmi Review: Ditya and Prabhudeva battle it out in this dance movie

In one of the beginning scenes in Director Vijay’s Lakshmi, we see the protagonist Lakshmi (Ditya), dance around anywhere at any given time when she hears music. Be it the bus stop, the bus or the restaurant, Lakshmi breaks into a dance. Then she makes friends with strangers and they are friendly to her as well. These scenes make you wonder if Lakshmi can hold your attention any longer since everything seems rushed and doesn’t make exact sense.

You also wonder if dance alone is enough to make a film? That’s where director Vijay, generously adds some drama in form of vengeful opponents, a single mother’s sentiment and unfortunate accident that surprisingly makes you want to watch the entire film.

Director Vijay’s second film of the year after Diya, is Lakshmi. The story of Lakshmi revolves around a young dancer who aspires to take part in the dance competition. What starts off a predictable and dull film, brings out genuinely good moments during the latter half.

The tricky tasks of making a dance film is that the choreography should be engaging enough so that it doesn’t bore the audience. The film manages to show this during the dance battle, and the way the team moves one round after the other. Some of the most impressive scenes are when the teams begin their practice sessions with Prabhu Deva. Music by Sam CS stands out in portions only, especially the sequences when the team performs and the songs which feature lyrics. There’s a reason why these exceptionally talented professional young dancers were cast with the dance master himself, and it works out in favor of the film. Be it Ditya, or dance sensation Akshat Singh who appeared on Ellen show, or the other talented stars of the group – these kids make you want to admire them.

It’s quite clear as to who will win the competition but bringing this to the audience requires the audience to root for the underdogs. However, this doesn’t come across entirely because there is no backstory to these characters we admire. Aishwarya Rajesh’s role of a mother is blandly written, that we forget that she is a single mom.

I didn’t understand why films cast the opponent team to constantly have a smirk on their faces – should evil also have expressions? If the opponent team’s coach is here to take on revenge then why should his team work with hate? This seems like a scene from a mega serial. But I suppose all is fair in love and war.

But beyond this, the film does manage to win you during the second half – which is the strength of the film. The high-energy dance by Ditya during the climax, Prabhudeva’s subtle performance and the events in which even the opponents become supporters make the film engaging. Overall, if you are expecting a step up series kind of a film or ABCD kind of a film then this wouldn’t match. However, this is better than all the dance reality shows. This isn’t a guide to the ABC of dance but it’s a film for those who love some drama and rhythm in films.